Koraput Disability Care Project (KORALEP)

The facts:

We began working in this area of Odisha in 1991. The main focus back then was to reach out to the most marginalised tribal communities and to provide those affected by leprosy with quality health care services.

Over the years this has remained our focus and currently, we work in the 3 districts of Koraput, Malkangiri and Nawarangpur where 74% to 82% of the population are living below the poverty line. That’s more than 405,500 families. Among these there are a high number of people with leprosy-related disabilities; 1169 presenting with severe disabilities.

From 2016 to 2019 we want to further improve access to care for those affected by leprosy, improve the lives of those with a leprosy-related disability and prevent further disability. We’ll also focus on helping people to access their rights.

The aim:

We will improve the quality of life of people affected by leprosy-related disabilities and complications. We also want to increase the number of cases of leprosy we are able to find at an early stage therefore preventing disability and empower people to claim their rights.

What exactly are we doing?

Providing protective footwear and assessing people for reconstructive surgery

Offering physiotherapy and pre- and post-op care for reconstructive surgery

Helping with socio-economic rehabilitation which means looking at skills training and access to disability grants

Providing health education by showing films and displaying exhibitions at markets that can improve knowledge surrounding diseases like leprosy

Training healthcare workers to detect the signs of leprosy

Facilitating and mobilising people with leprosy to form block and district level networks

What we know about the people we work with in this area?

83% of households live on less than £40 a month

8% of personal income is spent on health

1 in 3 say the disease limits them at work

8 days a month are missed at work due to illness

9 in 10 only eat 2 meals a day

91% do not have a toilet in their household

Some recent data:

Over 2015 and 2016 we collated some data and were able to find that:

7 in 10 people presented with a disability if they had had leprosy symptoms for over 3 years

¼ of people that came to us within 6 months of their leprosy symptoms appearing already had an irreversible disability

2 out of 3 people that visited us had seen a doctor 3 or more times since their symptoms first appeared 1-3 years ago

A third of people with symptoms that had appeared in less than a year had been sent to our centres by a health worker

52% of people that came to us had had symptoms appear between a 6-12 month period

How can you help?

To help us continue our work in this region and relieve some of the burden of having been affected by leprosy, there are lots of things you can do for us. You can take part in a challenge event or hold a life-changing tea, find out more here. Together we can beat leprosy.

The state of Bihar in India holds 16% of the global leprosy burden and the states of Telangana and Madhya Pradesh also present with high case numbers. This is why it's important that we continue to work in these states tackling neglected diseases like leprosy.

Our referral centre in Munger district India, was set up in 2005. We began running a project from the centre to provide health care services that could serve as a one stop centre for treatment and disability management.

Most read

Leprosy is completely curable, if treated early. Yet, tragically many people diagnosed today will already have terrible disabilities due to late diagnosis. Over 3 million more people are living in the shadows, with undiagnosed leprosy, and every day the disease causes more damage to their bodies, lives and futures.
Find out more

The Lepra Edinburgh to St Andrews Cycle Ride has hit a flat….! But don’t worry, we have an extra tube or two, a hand pump and a CO2 canister and plan to be back on track in June 2020. Keep an eye out for our exciting new developments and entry arrangements here.